Massage

Lymphatic Drainage

Would you like to boost your immune system, feel more energetic and detoxify your body? Lymphatic drainage (often called Manual Lymphatic Drainage or MLD) may be just what you need.

It is a form of very light massage that encourages lymph flow in the body. It is used for reducing swelling. The aim of the massage is to move fluid from the swollen area into an area where the lymphatic system is working normally. To do this the person massaging you first massages and clears the area they want the fluid to drain into. It might seem strange to have them massage your chest and neck if you have swelling in your arm. But it means that the fluid has somewhere to drain to when they massage your arm.

When you have the massage you feel a gentle pressure. It is not a deep massage. If it is too deep it won’t work because it flattens the small lymph vessels so that the fluid can’t drain. The movements are slow and rhythmic so the lymph vessels open up

In conjunction with ultrasound therapy, we also use MLD for liposuction post-op care, hip surgery post-op care, and ultrasonic fat cavitation (anti-cellulite treatments).

In conjunction with some of our skin rejuvenation programmes, we also use MLD for minimising scar tissue, reducing spider veins, redness and acne.

There are a number of lymph node clusters in the body. Each cluster forms a lymph territory or lymphotome. The predominant superficial lymph territories, as we group them for determining treatment time, are :